The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-02-21
A Gale Kages In Montana Territory
for Weeks.
The Thermometer Registers 81 De-
grees Below Zero.
Stock OF All Kinds Suffering for
Food.
Rising Waters Drive People from
Their Homes In Chicago.
Trains Delayed by Snow Storms In
Michigan.
Heavy Wind and Thunder Storm at
Newport, RI.

| CHICAGO, Feb. ia despatch from As
sinaboihe, Montana, says that for period
extending over the last six weeks uprece-
dented snow storms and gales Of wind have
ragged through the northern and western por-
| tions Of Montana. Mans only safety de-
| pended upon his remaining within DOORS
| For days in succession the thermometer lin
gered between 1Oo and 4O0 below zero, and
during one period of twenty-four hours it
registered $40 below zero. There Is from
two to six feet Of snow and an average depth
Of 20 inches upon the prairies. Drifts have
formed upon the cattle ranges and along the
stage route to remarkable depth. and the
surface of the snow is covered with a crust
too thick for cattle to break in order that
they may reach the grass. Stock Of all kinds
is suffering IN a most fearful manner. Hay
Is very scarce and naturally In great demand.
1t sells as high as $50 per ton. The various
mail coach lines have been the greatest suf-
ferers. The Helena and Benton stage line
has lost 80 horses since Christmas. Should
prolonged thaw set in now, there would be
a sudden breaking up of the Missouri river
from Benton down, causing tremendous
amount of destruction. At all events there
will be big river and long season of nayi-
CATION the coming summer.
The great and continued cold weather has
caused in many places serious fuel famine.
At Assinaboine, where thousands of cords of
wood are consumed annually, the supply
contracted for to last the year ending June
80 Is nearly exhausted, and it will be impos-
sible to secure more at the present time. In
the town Of Fort Benton the question OF fuel
Is becoming most serious, especially to the
poorer classes, who are unable to pay the
exorbltant prices demanded. Inferior cotton
wood is easily sold at $14 cord, and ranch
men living along the Teton bring in the
green willow poles and dispose of them at
from 81 to S12 load.
The last train of wagons loaded with mer-
chandise was over 80 days reaching Benton
from Helena, 100 miles.
The village Of Cummings, ILL.,, is pretty
well flooded out, the water having risen eight
Inches since Thursday night, compelling the
street cars to stop running. The school
houses have been closed, as the water was
nearly up to the furnace fires, and was ex-
pected soon to extinguish them.
At South Chicago yesterday the water in
the flooded portions Of the town had risen
in some places ten inches since the day pre-
vious. The water in the river had risen a
foot, and the bitches leading to 1t were
crowded to their utmost capacity. The
greatest suffering was In the northern part
of the town, where the state of the water
was such as to compel number OF families
to leave their homes
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich, Feb. 19.-No
trains or mails have been received or sent
from here since Thursday morning. One
train Is snow-bcund at Walton. But trains
have been started from here to get passen-
gers and mails.
NEWPORT, r. l., Feb. 19-An unusually
heavy wind and thunder storm visited New
port last night The storm began about 8
O'Clock, and from that time until IL nothing
could be heard above the terrible wind and
thunder. Buildings were badly shaken and
many families huddled together in absolute
fear.
CANTON, Oak, Feb. 19-The worst bliz-
zard Of the season has been raging through
out Dakota since Thursday noou. All trains
are abandoned and business Is at a stand
still on account of the immense quantity Of
snow on the ground.
MAcKINAw CITY, Mich, Feb. ia high
wind and binding snowstorm set In at 6
velocity until midnight and continuing until
noon yesterday. 1t was by all odds the
most savage storm of the season. The
steamer Algomah battled with it all night on
her trip from Saint Ignace to Mackinaw
City, with party OF passengers and large
amount of freight. The passengers all came
ashore over the Ice at noon and reported the
vessel had br0keniher main shaft coupling
half mile out, and could not be repaired
for ten days: In the meantime the passen-
gers and freight will be teamed across the
straits on the ice. The storm has greatly i'm
peded railroad traffic and telegraph COM
munication.
WALTHAsI, Mass, Feb. 19.-The storm
visited Waltham with great fury last even
ing, flooding the streets and good many of
the cellars. According to the record at the
pumping station two inches of rain fell.
On Main street, at the upper part, the water
was foot deep over the curbstones. Cellars
on the south side were flooded with from one
to two feet of water. The lightning flashes
were vivid and the thunder loud. No dam
age from lightning is reported.
HURON, OAK, Feb 19-The storm that
commenced Thursday has not yet ceased
The wind is from the north, but Is not cold.
The snow is piled as high as the fence tops,
| and the wagon roads are mostly impass-
able. The Bismarck train, which got as far
as Redfeld, Thursday, was brought back
here yesterday. and locomotive run from
Brookings to Volga was the only wheel
turned on the 700 miles of the Dakota Cen
tral division of the Chicago & Northwestern
road today. No effort will be made to clear
the road until the storm subsidies. The past
| thirty-six hours have been the most dis
agreeable known in this part of Dakota
| since 1880.
New HAVEN. Feb. 19.-During the storm
| last night the old lighthouse at the South
| End, where the storm signals are displayed,
was struck by lightning. The light was ex-
| tinguished, the cupola badly wrecked and
| the Flagstaff torn from its fastenings and
| thrown about $50 feet. The iron railing
around the outside platform was badly